


Hugs

by lynndyre



Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Families of Choice, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-24 09:56:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4915030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lynndyre/pseuds/lynndyre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eggsy and Roxy look out for Merlin just as sincerely as he looks out for them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hugs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shadownashira](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadownashira/gifts).



Tristan was in quarantine. It rankled any Kingsman to be so restricted, and in addition Tristan was forced to hand over weeks of work to Agravaine, and would miss out on the chance to apprehend the South American 'medical entrepreneur' he'd been pursuing. The bioweapon had been rendered inert before it contacted Tristan's suit, but the quarantine period was necessary nonetheless, as was the broad-spectrum preventative antibiotic he'd been prescribed. 

And in that, Merlin found he echoed Tristan's frustration. His contact with Tristan post-mission, as a handler and the first line of medical, meant that Merlin was prescribed the same precautionary regimen.

Which was why, after fielding Tristan's complaints and requests for work – or failing that, for first editions – Merlin wondered if he could afford to take the afternoon off. Not from germ warfare, or dangerous contagion, but from the burn and vindictive discontent the antibiotics were in the process of wreaking throughout his digestion. 

He made his way to the tea room instead, a ground floor parlour towards the east wing. Roxy and Eggsy were there already, a folder and a paperback novel spread out across the table. 

Merlin had poured the milk and was just reaching for the tea when a Westminster chime went off, a few rooms distant. He checked his watch, and swallowed two pills from the tin in the pocket of his field jacket. At least the tea helped.

"What're those, then?"

Trust in Eggsy's curiousity. "Antibiotics. Preventative. Courtesy of Tristan's most recent mission."

"So are we going to be starring in Outbreak?"

"No, Eggsy. They're a precaution."

Roxy tilted her head to the side, concerned. "Those can be quite harsh on the body."

Merlin gave her a wry look.

"...they're doing a number on you, ain't they?"

"Both of you have other things to be worrying about."

Roxy met Eggsy's look, nodded towards the door, and Eggsy grinned. "Got it!"

"Feel better, Merlin!" And Roxy ducked out, leaving Eggsy just the edge of fidgeting under Merlin's regard. He straightened his back, looked up at Merlin from not quite parade rest. 

"I suppose you won't tell me what the two of you are planning."

"Who, us?"

But Eggsy's waiting on something, working up to something, and Merlin drank his tea while he waited to see what would emerge.

"I could rub your stomach?"

Merlin didn't cough, but it was a near thing. "--Pardon?"

"I'm not taking the piss! It'd help, swear to god. I'm good at it. One out o' one baby sisters recommends it." Eggsy bit his tongue, likely realizing that comparison was unlikely to be helping his case. "Trust me?"

Any other Kingsman, and Merlin would have continued to refuse. English public schools didn't cultivate a healthy attitude towards physical contact. But whatever Eggsy meant by this, Merlin could at least rely on the intention being genuine. And he _hurt_ , in the useless, internal way that stoicism failed to adequately contend with.

"...Alright."

"Okay?"

He made worse Kingsman-related choices every year. "Okay, Eggsy. How do you want to do this?"

There was nothing for it but the sofa, unless they moved to a different part of the mansion. Eggsy flopped down and patted his lap. Merlin sighed, and set his glasses on the table. Facing away. 

***

It hadn't been hard for Eggsy to see Merlin wasn't moving right. It wasn't much, not anything that'd look strange on a normal bloke, but once Kingsman's got it trained in your head to watch everything- Eggsy notices a lot of shit now. And Merlin was definitely off. 

Maybe – definitely – stupid to offer to pet his boss, but bosses weren't Merlin. Eggsy wanted to do this.

Merlin sank down slow, like it was bothering him worse now he'd admitted it hurt. He rested his head on Eggsy's thigh, deliberate and warm, and Eggsy's hand cupped the curve of Merlin's skull. Warm. At the side of his head, where it was shaved, tiny prickles brushed Eggsy's fingers. Without the glasses, Eggsy could see the shadows under Merlin's eyes, the age that collected and hid in that little space of skin. 

"You been staying up all night."

"Kingsman operates regardless of time zone." Merlin's legs twisted at the knees to let his feet rest on the floor, all of him was longer than the couch.

"Yeah, well, people oughta be evil masterminds on GMT. Give you a break." He flattened his palm over Merlin's stomach, felt the huff as Merlin exhaled. Not quite a laugh. 

"That's not how this works."

Eggsy's thumb brushed back and forth over Merlin's sweater, gentle. "Should be. You look after all of us. We can look after you and all."

Merlin opened his eyes, head tilted back just enough to meet Eggsy's, and Eggsy about got lost in them. Eggsy's thumb traced the soft spot behind Merlin's ear, and his other hand made smooth circles over Merlin's belly. Merlin's eyelids flickered, stayed shut, and he gave a soft, full-body sigh.

"You do." 

Eggsy clamped his jaw shut against making a noise, but couldn't stop the grin. 

***

Ninety minutes round trip. 

Roxy opened the break room door and Eggsy startled, curling forward protectively around Merlin's head. She had a moment to take them in, while Merlin made a noise of protest, but was slow to wake. Roxy met Eggsy's look over his head, and held up her hand, displaying both her finds.

"Hey." Eggsy brushed the back of his thumb along the side of Merlin's face. "Roxy's brought you a present.

Merlin blinked at them both and hauled himself mostly upright. Roxy manfully ignored all evidence of vulnerability and opened the tiny bottle of yakult, pressing it and two pills into Merlin's hands. She waited until his fingers gripped to let go. Merlin looked at her.

"They both contain active cultures-" Roxy bit it off before she could add 'sir'. "It should. Help."

Merlin transferred both pills to his mouth and knocked back the tiny yoghurt like a shot. The degree of trust that required of a spy - in something Roxy had handed to him- her cheeks were pink even before his sleep-roughened, "Thank you."

Eggsy grinned at her, and Roxy smiled back. "There's more, for the rest of the doses when you need them. The pills are refrigerated, I set everything in the kitchen." 

Eggsy was deliberately still, and Roxy sank down tentatively on the couch at Merlin's other side.  
"Thank you both." Merlin rubbed both hands over his face, and Roxy could see him putting himself together. 

"It will need a moment to work." Selfishly, Roxy would rather like to keep this Merlin a little longer, with his defenses down, close enough to touch.

Merlin let his hand fall heavy on Eggsy's head, then dropped it to his shoulder, making it an offer that Eggsy responded to with his whole body. He spoke something into Eggsy's hair, then turned his head, and opened his other arm to Roxy.

She went, pressing her face into Merlin's sweater, her forehead against his neck. Merlin smelled good – chemically compatible, family-safe – skin and reassurance and Kingsman aftershave.

Her hand found Eggsy's across Merlin's knees, and Eggsy held on tight.


End file.
